Thursday 19 October 2017
A warm welcome to all users of this forum.
A few days ago, I received from Zoran Pavlovic, the kit manufacturer, the material I ordered for my next model, a project I want to manage in the period of time I will spend in Tuscany.
The kit is produced by a Croatian company,
MARISSTELLA of Split, founded in 2008. I found it on the Modelshipworld forum where Marisstella is present with a advertisement banner. The company has a remarkably interesting product catalog, with typical boats of the Adriatic Sea. He is the same producer of the kit of my latest model, finished a few months ago:
Gajeta Falkusa.
The first impression is that the materials supplied with the kit are definitely valid, the timbers are of good quality and the two sheets containing the plans are very well done. Many pieces are laser pre-cut both on plywood and solid wood. Concerning the wood used, the walnut is used for each element: planking, masts and spars, detail of the decks. As I wrote the wood is of high quality but personally I would have preferred a mix of wood with different colors to make the model less monotonous. I do not exclude that during this project I do not invent something using different woods to obtain a more lively and chromatic results. We'll see.
Again the biggest flaw in this kit is the assembling instructions: they are written in
Croatian and English language. No comment on the Croatian, I do not know it, but for English it could be better. But Zoran Pavlovic has available a new version of them : he has reviewed the part in English and
has also added instructions in Italian language. Zoran sent me them via email a couple of days after I received the kit and I have to say that they are very, very well translated.
Unlike the instructions of the Gajeta Falkusa, my last model, in this case there are virtually no images showing the various stages of construction and this is a small problem because this model is also quite complex and the written instructions become critical. They must be read carefully and understood perfectly to avoid mistakes that could have heavy consequences. And here's a further thank to Zoran for the magnificent Italian instructions: I hope will make the job easier and more methodical.
At the moment I'm going to read, understand, interpret and comment them with some personal notes that should help me at the right time.
Here I would like to propose some images of the kit and the material contained inside.
First, a little bit of data:
Scale 1:59
Total Length 775 mm
Size of the packaging cm 65 x 21.5
Let's start by looking at our kit before opening it:
01 Ragusian Carrack/13.jpg
But let's describe what model is.
This model represents a Ragusian Carrack, a sailing ship of the maritime republics of the period from the 14th to the middle of the 17th century, designed for freight transport.
The Carrack appears in Venice at the beginning of the 14th century, but at the same time it begins to be built in the city of Dubrovnik (Ragusa), another maritime republic, less famous of the four Italian towns but not less important, as the largest type of Adriatic shipping vessel.
In the fifteenth century, the Carrack spread from the Adriatic to the Mediterranean Sea and in the late 15th century to the Atlantic Ocean. Here they were built by the Spaniards, Portuguese, French and Dutch
.
It is therefore a vessel almost contemporary to the famous caravels and naos from the Iberian peninsula but still before the galleon, characterized by the high fore and aft castles. In the sixteenth century the Dubrovnik Carrack was one of the largest ships in the world and sailed to England.
The large and spacious Carrack was called
Argosia, a name derived from
ragusia, the adjective of Ragusa. The level of popularity of Dubrovnik's carracks is demonstrated by the fact that the English created the literal expression
Argosy ship.
But let's post some pictures of this gorgeous finished model, pictures sent by Zoran, which worth more than a thousand words.
02 Ragusian Carrack/Images/4CB_4522 DUBROVAČKA KARAKA 16. ST.jpg
03 Ragusian Carrack/Images/4CB_4527 DUBROVAČKA KARAKA 16. ST.jpg
04 Ragusian Carrack/Images/4CB_4532 DUBROVAČKA KARAKA 16. ST.jpg
05 Ragusian Carrack/Images/4CB_4537 DUBROVAČKA KARAKA 16. ST.jpg
See you next time with additional images of the Ragusian Carrack !!
Cheers, Jack.Aubrey.
